++ FULL-SIZE HEADPHONE RECOMMENDATIONS THREAD++ i.e. Don't start a new thread: ask for advice... - Page 1431

Hey im looking for some help and I hope someone can reply.

 

My current sound set up is pretty much nonexistant (built-in speakers on my monitor lol) so I am looking for a nice upgrade. Im looking for a desktop headphone setup for gaming, music and movies.The games include fps among others so I would like some surround sound headphones I hear is good for knowing where stuff is coming from.

 

After some research and looking at my budget, ~$300, I like the beyer dt990 pro 250ohms headphone. They have a low cost and the reviews seem very good. I also need that surround sound for it so then I looked and found the xonar dg soundcard. It includes dolby headphone for that surround sound, is cheap and has just about everything I need. I have a small motherboard with a PCIe and PCI slot available. The PCIe slot is right next to this big videocard and im scared a sound card on there might block the fan or worse might not even fit so that makes the xonar card even better for me being a regular PCI card.

 

My problem arises from people complaining that the built amp in the soundcard isn't enough to power the dt990 250ohm headphones. I got a couple bucks left over from the soundcard and headphones ~$50 for an amp or something. I saw the fiio 10 and 11. But with the 10 i dont think i can hook it up to the sound card because its usb and the 11 would require me to plug and unplug all the time to charge it.

 

So im new and need some recomendations to getting the dt990 to work with what I got. Any suggestions?

Hey,

 

I'm looking for a $300 or under semi-portable headphone. Over or on ear is fine. Mainly going to be used in a noisy home, the bus, and in school during study hall, so closed, minimal leakage headphones are preferred.

I mostly listen to bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sublime, 311, Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins, and other lighter rock bands. So a warm, slightly bassy headphone sounds good.

I'd like them to look decent, and for reference I love the looks of the Sony MDR-1R and the Philips Fidelio L1.

Just ask if you need any more info.

That is exactly what I was looking at!

They seem perfect for me and just at my budget, thank you!

Also I already bought the Fiio E10 so that shouldn't be a problem.

 

I've personaly never tried them so i cannot speak for their quality and such. Look around for a headfier who owns or owned them, sorry i cant help you with those.

Find a used pair of trittons or astro a40/50's if you want an attached mic otherwise get some ATH AD900/700 or sennheiser HD  595 or 555 along with a mic

i found trittons build quality to be really poor. went through a few pairs of ax pros.

The HD 598 would be a natural step up from the HD 555.

Oh, those are nice indeed. Any other recommendations based on the music I listen to? I was thinking about getting an amplifier, what would you say would be the next step in Sennheiser or Grado for that matter that would need an amp to drive them? I'd mainly want an amp for volume control, yeah I know that isn't a reason to get one. But still, it is a nice addition.

 

I should note that even though I'm impressed by the HD-555s, they have cracked on both sides above the ears. I think this is a known issue with these headphones so I'm kind of wary of spending the extra cash and having the same thing happen again.

Edited by VitaX - 11/23/12 at 7:06pm

I'll just pretend it's the same as classic rock, as you favorite groups are newer than mine. That said the Senn HD 600 & 650 are fine cans, but a big jump in price over the also good HD 598. The 600 series needs a decent amp, while the HD 598 is not as demanding.

The Grado families of cans will benefit from an amp, but strictly don't need one. The Alessandro MS-2i (based on the Grado SR 325is) is what I would recommend. See:

http://www.proaudioland.com/alessandro-music-series-two-headphones.html

Those are nice as well. I think I'm leaning towards those now. Looks like it will be a good upgrade from what I currently have. If you don't mind me asking this here, is there an amp you would recommend to go along with it? I'm not sure about price range since I'm not too familiar as to how much low, mid, and high level amps sell for.

I'd check the HD 650 appreciation thread for the amps that the community has tried and preferred. As I only have one portable amp, my experience is mostly with desktop amps connected to a CD deck (I use a vintage and a couple non-vintage receivers with my vintage turntable and vinyl).

If going with a good entry level amp (which also has a DAC), I have had good luck with the hybrid HiFiMan EF2A paired with both the Senn and Grado/Alessandro. I especially like the way that the tube portion of the EF2a tamed the highs in the Grado SR 325is (the MS-2 has less of an issue with this). Mid level solid states Shiit Asgard and Matrix M-Stage are solid and I've heard good things about the Audio-gd NFB 12.1. Above that the hybrid HiFi Man EF5 is a thing of beauty with the HD 650. Finally the Burson HA-160 is simply amazing with most anything that you plug into it.

In the end the Alessandro is far less picky than the much less efficient and far more finicky Senn.
Edited by KG Jag - 11/23/12 at 8:21pm

Hello guys, I'll try and keep this short. I'm pretty new to audiophile gear, but I'm looking to get a somewhat good home setup going for under $400. Seeing as it's Black Friday weekend. I figured it would be a good time as any.

I bought some Audio Technica ATH M50s about a year ago and they were my first 'audiophile' headphones, before then I had M35s and before that any cheap $20 set I could get my hands on. I love my m50s dearly, it was certainly a step up from anything I've used.

My old setup was simply plugging my m50's straight into my desktop's headphone jack.
Well now my M50's are broken (lent them to a friend for too long). And my computers headphone jack is a bit loose/pushed in causing me to do some annoying twiddling back and forth to get the proper sound of it. Line in at the back of my case simply does not cut it, I lose a lot of little details in my music compared to using the headphone jack.

So what I need now is a new set of headphones and a good dac/amp combo(I think?) for under $400. I'd go $450 max at the moment.
For headphones I'm looking for something that can pick up on the m50's shortcomings and perhaps polish what already excels at. I'd prefer a closed pair. I'd mostly use them at home but I'd like the option of taking them out and not having my music be heard 50 feet away.
I do some gaming but music is my priority here. I listen to a wide variety of genres, but I mostly love Prog Rock, Folk, Soul and Downtempo. I've been looking at the following headphones:

ATH-A900X
HFI-580
HFI-780
DT 770 PRO

Are the above catered to my needs/tastes? As for DAC/AMPs, portability is not my concern. This would be for home use. Am I asking for too much for my budget? I'm a neophyte to all of this, so it's a tad overwhelming, but some input/recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

TL;DR:

• $450 max budget (lower the better)
• Need upgrade from ATH M50
• Beginner, need closed headphone + DAC/AMP
• PC source
• Music is my #1 concern over everything, but I do quite a bit of gaming
• Multiple genres: from Prog Rock to Downtempo, Hiphop, Punk, Blues, you name it.

Edited by AtlanticMadness - 11/23/12 at 8:27pm

Theyre quality control is terrible but i had a pair of 720's that lasted me forever. Its a safer bet to go with the astro's if you're going to play roughly 200$. i just through the trittons in as a slightly cheaper option

Hey guys, still looking for a closed headphone with low leakage, and as good bass response as possible for under 100 bucks.

any ideas?

Takstar Pro 80 might do the job, sells for $88 on eBay.